Schenectady Mayor Vetoes ‌City Council’s Budget Proposal

SCHENECTADY — In a ⁢dramatic turn of⁤ events, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy has vetoed the ⁤City Council’s second budget proposal ⁤this ⁢year, urging lawmakers to reconsider his original spending plan as the Dec. 31 budget deadline approaches.

McCarthy⁤ expressed ‍frustration⁢ with the council’s back-and-forth ‍approach, stating,‍ “Again,​ the council has just ⁤bounced around on this ‍and ⁣it’s been‍ a little bit difficult to deal with them.”

The latest $109 million ⁤spending proposal includes cuts to police and fire department overtime and static fee rates, which the mayor has opposed. He ​is calling for the council​ to allocate ⁣revenue to offset ⁣increased⁢ costs or waste collection.

While the all-Democratic council’s four-member progressive majority has enough votes to pass a ⁣budget, they do not ‍have enough to override a veto. The last attempt to surpass the mayor was one⁤ member shy of passing.

Councilman⁣ Dammoni ⁤Farley described the recent veto ‌as⁤ disappointing, but believes ​that the council and the mayor are not ​as ⁢far apart ⁢as they seem. He hopes for ⁤a‌ resolution to be reached soon.

Meanwhile, McCarthy plans‍ on reaching⁢ out to lawmakers ⁤to schedule another meeting, as missing the nearing deadline would⁤ push the city into ⁣uncharted waters within the modern era.

Implications of Missing the ‍Budget Deadline

The city code⁤ doesn’t specify any repercussions​ for ⁢missing the budget deadline, ⁤but McCarthy has suggested that operations‍ wouldn’t be able to continue ‌on⁢ Jan. 1 without a spending plan. Council members are researching the ⁣potential repercussions and exploring plans to avoid a similar situation in the future.

It remains to be seen how the council​ and the mayor will resolve their differences and reach⁤ a consensus before the looming deadline.